I'm hearing ppl pronounce "la paperson" all funky kinda ways, like it's French. My read on Yang's pen name is that it draws from Chinese American history. Knowing Chinese American history offers a deeper read of the book "A Third University is Possible. https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/12/17/251833652/chinese-american-descendants-uncover-forged-family-history

Without directly asking Yang, I don't know if the choice to use "la paperson" is connected to Chinese American history, but as a Chinese (Hong Konger) American and Asian Americanist, this is how the pen name hits me. #EthnicStudiesMatters

If the pen name had been "paperson la" that woulda been even better, tbh. if you know Cantonese, you know.